


Fake

by cactwerk (ninnie_eats_chips)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, Altissia (Final Fantasy XV), Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Growing Up Together, Hate to Love, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Minor Character Death, Sort Of, Teen Romance, filthy rich au, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2020-07-25 13:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20026741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninnie_eats_chips/pseuds/cactwerk
Summary: You were just a child when you were introduced to Ignis Scientia; the boy you would be expected to marry one day when you came of age. At twelve years old, you were mostly uninterested in relationships and marriage wasn’t a mere thought in your mind. But you came from a well-to-do family, and they had expectations for you.[This is a oneshot story which I felt compelled to expand on in a prequel. The prequel is part 1, followed by the original prompt, for clarity!]





	1. Pretend Love

**Author's Note:**

> Iggy is not quite as we know him, but a richboi with a confused heart! Bless him.
> 
> This is my first post here, and an old fic from my blog! Nevertheless it is one of my personal favorites, so while I don't write for this fandom anymore (currently) I hope others will enjoy this AU nonetheless!
> 
> Note: the original was written gender-neutral, but the meat of the story specifies a female Reader character.

You were just a child when you were introduced to Ignis Scientia; the boy you would be expected to marry one day when you came of age. At twelve years old, you were mostly uninterested in relationships and marriage wasn’t a mere thought in your mind. But you came from a well-to-do family, and they had expectations for you.

You didn’t care about looking the part for anybody. You were pushing around a plate of potatoes when Ignis entered the dining room for the first time, accompanied by his uncle. He smiled towards you and your parents from across the room and they stood up to welcome him. Upon finding you still seated, your mother turned to lightly slap the elbow you had leaning on the table, encouraging you to have some manners for your betrothed. You stared uncertainly at Ignis as you stood. Surely the confident smile plastered on his face betrayed his true feelings about this. The only difference with you was that you didn’t bother to hide it.

You were shy and quiet as you were approached by Ignis’ uncle, shaking his hand weakly before your “fiancee” himself came forward to greet you. He was a tall boy one year your senior, looking manicured and proper in his vest, striped undershirt and tie. The gold-rimmed glasses he wore gave you the idea that he was one of those stuffy intellectual kids. He looked like he thought he was better than you, and he probably was. You weren’t sure whether he reeked more of pretentiousness or cologne.

As if rehearsed, Ignis took your hand and bowed to–_Ugh,_ kiss the top of your hand.

“You must be (Name)? You look lovely.” The preteen’s voice cracked. He stood tall and gave you the same gentle but plastery smile.

It was hatred at first sight.

Your parents invited Ignis and his uncle over for lunch, dinner, and other outings time and time again with the absurd idea that you were perfect for one another. Over and over you would protest, and it only served to make things worse. Your mother would call you undutiful and selfish, not wanting to give in to reason. Well, your arguments fell on deaf ears all the same. So rather than being dressed up like an expensive cutlet of holiday ham and forced to sit next to Ignis through awkward meals, you began a trend of escaping through the back garden, only returning at sundown for the scolding of a lifetime. Unfortunately, you only got away with this for so long until the privileges slipped away. You grew tired of challenging your parents, and even more tired of being within the confines of your bedroom instead of seeing your friends. It seemed like the only choice you had was to bond with Ignis, or to bond with your favorite pillow to cry into.

It was on one of the rare days you spent withdrawn in the garden that Ignis approached you alone for the first time. You were sitting on a bench, wearing a big frown and staring at your feet when he invited himself to sit beside you. Had he no respect for your personal space? You found yourself sighing loudly, not meeting his gaze.

“Wasn’t expecting visitors today.” You said in a bold voice, hoping Ignis would catch the hint. “Did my parents send you?”

“No… I decided to come of my own accord.” Your eyebrows perked up, looking at the boy out of the corner of your eye as you held your arms close to your body. This might have been the first time you’d exchanged words privately, never having truly heard Ignis’ voice for the better part of a year. In fact, you realized you knew little about him aside from the bragging exchanged between your families.

“Listen,” The brunette started again, taking you by surprise with the sudden depth of his voice. “I’m aware that you are not fond of me.” He paused to push up his glasses by the bridge of his frames. “To be honest, I have no interest in you either.”

* * *

Your footsteps felt lighter with every step since that day, at peace with the shared sentiment about your arranged marriage. It made it all the more easier for you to compromise, just being kind to one another in the presence of each other’s families. You would exchange pleasant greetings and go your separate ways at the end of the day without feeling the pressure of some stranger trying to court you. It was all just pretend, after all. And it also meant that you could turn down any unwanted suitors with ease.

Even better, by the time you had turned fifteen, you were permitted to go out with Ignis as you pleased. He’d come to pick you up and you would walk out the door arm-in-arm, snickering to yourself before parting ways in the city and agreeing to meet up again to go home.

It was up until this point in your life that you despised having so little to dislike about the guy, but now you coincided on the fact that you disliked each other. At first it was all in the mischievous looks you swapped one another when no one was looking. But as you grew together, it became more like a game. You were simply rotten to one another just for kicks. It was the perfect, beautiful, toxic relationship.

“Darling,” Ignis would start off, having just gotten in the car with you and started peeling off his overcoat, not even making eye contact with you. “Might I say you look _horrid_ this evening.”

You’d throw your head back and laugh. “Is your hair being pulled back into the vacuum of space or is it meant to look that way?”

You might have said you were friends, even. Sometimes the two of you would actually go out and saunter around the Altissian nightlife together. Even more fun when you realized your fiancee had connections who could get you into events for free, or sneak you a couple drinks. He was money, so they wouldn’t check. Besides, he looked mature enough and so did you with the proper makeup and low lighting. But it was those times when you realized that “Iggy,” as they called him, wasn’t so stiff after all. It was probably during these nights in particular that you learned the most about him.

Like, why hadn’t he told you that he was an amazing cook? Sure, your in-house chef was alright. But now you sort of wanted to try this famed lasagna of Ignis’ and urged him to treat your whole household to the good stuff. Apparently some guy named Weskham had taught him.

You were also tipped off by one of Ignis’ old schoolmates about his piano fingers. Naturally, he was required to give you a song on the old bar piano; _“Valse di Fantastica.”_ You joined the ranks of people cheering and clapping when he brought the melody to a close.

“How come I didn’t hear about your magic hands during all those dreadful meetings?” You asked with interest, leaning against the side of the instrument.

Ignis held his glass up, slowly swishing the remaining wine around with a smirk. “Must’ve been one of those you ran away from.”

“Still have the piano?”

The young man tipped the glass to his lips. You took note of his sharp jawline as he tilted his head back, watching his gullet tremble when he finished off his drink. “Sold it for the boat, my lady. Do you fancy the idea of a honeymoon by the sea?”

Ignis was tactful and knew his limits as well as yours, never putting you at the risk of an accident and always seemingly ready with a supply of peppermints. The one time you found yourself a little clumsy on your feet, he was there with his arm around you, pretending to be very in love with you as he did. That made your parents happy, of course. But you were uninfluenced the time that he kissed you in the foyer, and that made things a little… bizarre. Perhaps because it felt too real?

You were seventeen then, and didn’t know whether it was it was the hype of playing things out for your parents or something else going on, but you remembered Ignis leaning down to press his soft lips against yours, the touch of his elegant, thin fingers against the side of your face. It wasn’t like the other distant little pecks you exchanged here and there for show. It felt _loving._ He parted with a gentle look in his eyes and a thin smile. You could feel that he’d broken a sort of unspoken rule and you felt angry. Or maybe betrayed. Ignis’ must’ve seen your lack of reaction when he stepped back because he didn’t say another thing to you as he left that night.

In fact, time slipped by and you managed not to speak for a couple weeks. You spent this time alone, either in your room, the garden where you used to run, or taking walks around the city–but all of it reminded you of Ignis. It felt like a breakup but, _Gods,_ you were never really together. You never understood how much that man had permeated your every waking thought, and now you were alone with the confounding awareness that you were falling in love with the same male you once wanted nothing to do with.

_Ignis…_ Was he falling for you too? You cursed how skilled an actor he could be. So good that he could fool you into believing that he might’ve felt something for you without even meaning to do it. He was a handsome, devilish bastard. How could you be so sure he didn’t have a secret lover of his own?

Frustrated tears spilled from your eyes while you laid in bed, curled up against your pillow. The thought of Ignis bringing you home with his arm around you and kissing you tenderly entered your mind again. You were so at war with yourself. Things just bopped back and forth in your head like this, not getting anywhere.

During the period of silence between you, your mother was on your case of course, trying to talk to you about “making up” as you knew the wedding would be on no matter what happened between you. The irony of everything was just so strong that it pushed away whatever ideas you kept getting about trying to talk to him. It was just too uncomfortable.

The next thing you knew, you had learned of the passing of Ignis’ uncle. The news hit you like a ton of bricks, as you were only vaguely aware of his prior sickness, and now you were feeling the immense guilt of not being there. He’d lost his mentor, the one who had raised him for much of his life, and would now be thrust into the position of diplomatic advisory alongside taking you for a wife.

The next time you saw your fiancee, you were standing near to one another on a cold day, peering over a casket covered in sylleblossoms. Various extended family and parliament members surrounded you as they paid their respects. You exchanged sullen glances, keeping your heads down low during the procession. The sadness was evident in Ignis’ eyes and although you didn’t talk to one another, you laced your fingers into his own while standing side by side. Only when you left did you offer the words, “I’m sorry.”

The unfortunate events delayed your wedding ceremony as you left time to grieve. Even your mostly preoccupied father was sinking more time into your life than he had ever done previously, most likely realizing the preciousness of time, and knowing that you were about to be given away. You decided not to be selfish and relished the better relationship you had with your household, but an emptiness still filled your heart. Ignis joined you again for many dinners and you resumed your usual roles with surprising gusto… except every kiss and brush of the hand made it feel like time was running out.

On the day of your bridal celebration, just two days before the wedding, your heart was sinking below deck and pounding in your ears. You waited for a time when things had died down to slip off into the night, but _he_ noticed.

You would soon find that you had been followed to the docks…


	2. No More Pretending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With only a few days left until your arranged marriage to Ignis, it seemed your "relationship" had crumbled to ashes. You were weary of pretending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the oneshot that started the whole thing and also wraps it up. I'll say the ending is a little open-ended, as this was just a prompt thing before!
> 
> (Considering I wrote this part first back in the day, you may or may not notice a little retconning from its prequel. As it is older, I've chosen not to heavily edit ((I'd just end up going ape-wild)) so take things as you will! I hope it makes more sense to read the events chronologically!)

You were eighteen now–a legal adult. You were to wed Ignis in just a matter of days, with the final preparations being made by your parents. It was an arrangement years in the making, having known each several years prior. You didn’t choose Ignis, and he didn’t choose you. That was just how it was. You’d come to accept it over the years.

Everything you did for this “relationship” was to please other parties. Every bit of affection; every touch, embrace, and even kiss, were done with the sole intention of keeping up appearances. As long as no one was disappointed in you, it was better that way, wasn’t it? Even for the both of you, you had the opportunity to bond over your mutual distaste for the arrangement all whilst playing one big game of pretend.

So then why, even after disappearing from all the prying, expectant eyes, did you continue to hold hands as you sat together on the Altissian docks?

For some reason, your heart was heavy as you clung to Ignis’ hand, staring down into the dark, rippling water beneath your feet. You suspected he could feel the ultimatum too. The reality of the whole situation creeping up on him as your wedding day drew nearer. You each talked less. Kept your distance. You wanted to know, but you were scared. Having fallen so deeply into the game, there was a fear of the unknown manifesting inside you. At this point you didn’t even know who was holding onto who’s hand, but you didn’t want to be the one to let go of it.

_“Cheers to the happy couple.”_

Ignis was stagnant beside you, but it only took the sudden tight squeeze of your hand for his lips to find themselves grazing the side of your face towards your ear, his warm breath making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The frustration of being toyed with was building up, ready to burst as the lights in your peripheral vision grew misty.

“Ignis.” You swallowed, making your voice a warning sign. “You don’t have to pretend–”

The brunette cut you off, gently taking you by the chin before his lips engulfed yours in a slow and passionate kiss–nothing like the brief but lingering ones you were used to exchanging in front of the masses. When you parted, Ignis held his forehead close to yours and smoothed over your moistened cheek with his thumb.

“I’m not pretending anymore.” Ignis whispered, his eyes filled with honesty. “I have to know… do you feel the same way?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Then you got over yourself, got married, hit each other in the face with cake and lived happily ever after. The End!
> 
> Or just threw him in the water and left. I dunno, it's up to you.


End file.
